title: Variability as a characteristic of immature motor systems: an electromyographic study of swimming in the newborn rat.
abstract: Swimming behaviour was studied in neonate rats by carrying out electromyographic recordings. The study showed that the early swimming pattern was characterized by highly instable temporal parameters. A decrease was found to occur with age in the variability of the instantaneous period in each leg and in that of the antiphase pattern. Moreover, a dissociation occurred during development between the foreleg and the backleg activity. While patterns involving the forelegs always remained extremely instable, a considerable improvement was found to occur with time in the hindlimb activity.
authors.affiliation: C.N.R.S., Laboratoire de Neurosciences Fonctionnelles, Unité de Sensori-Motricité Comparée, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cazalets
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Menard
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crémieux
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Clarac
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography; D005552:Forelimb / Q000294:innervation; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000294:innervation; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013550:Swimming